Living in Her Shadows
by monkey-fairy
Summary: Back again! Accidentaly deleted last version of this! sry! ok....anyway! Do you ever wonder what happened to Kaoru's family?That's what our redhaired laundry boy wants to know! Should I add an epilouge?Give me ideas! plz r&r!thanx!


Living in Her Shadows  
  
I heard quiet footsteps. I think they are Kaoru's. But then why would she be up at this hour! She should be sleeping! It was just about 5 in the morning. Kaoru usually would be up around 9 and that is 4 hours away!  
  
I got up just to see why Kaoru would be up. It was raining outside; the dark clouds like silhouettes of mountains. Rain poured down in buckets splashing everywhere.  
  
That's when I saw her, Kaoru. She was standing in the rain, making her yukata stick to her skin. She was so beautiful, her hair so black, and I now just realized how sad her life was, but actually all I know is that her dad died at a young age and she had to be alone. Whatever happened to her family, her father?  
  
Wait a minute, why is she crying out there? Plus, she is smiling! Ok, now I am worried, what if she catches a cold?!  
  
" Kaoru-dono, why are you standing in the rain? You'll catch a cold!" She looked at me with such surprise, that's when I saw her eyes, they had tears flowing from them. She put her hand up and wiped them off, even though it didn't matter because the rain made her face look like she cried all over again.  
  
She came walking toward me out of the rain, " Sorry Kenshin. The rain kind of relaxes me for some reason."  
  
She was frowning, I didn't want her to frown!  
  
" Its alright Kaoru-dono, I just didn't want you to catch a cold." She smiled! I love her smiles.  
  
" Ok Kenshin, could you start breakfast a little early? Once the rain stops I am going to go into town."  
  
" Sure Kaoru-dono, of course." Then she headed into her bedroom, probably to change out of her wet clothes. I love making breakfast for Kaoru.  
  
Right after that the rain only sprinkled down on the ground. At close to 9:30 the rain completely stopped, that's when everyone got up. Kaoru and I already had breakfast but saved leftovers for Yahiko and Sano.  
  
"Mornin Kenshin, mornin ugly." Yahiko had practically yawned that whole sentence. Usually Kaoru would have grabbed her bokkon, got up, and chased Yahiko into a mud puddle. But she didn't even stir; she just sat there. That's when I knew something was wrong with her.  
  
Sano knew it as well, he leaned on the wall chewing on his fishbone that appeared out of nowhere because he didn't have it when he came in. Kaoru suddenly spoke up and said, " I am going to head into town now, I'll be back before dinner." "Ok Kaoru-dono."  
  
Then she left. I watched her leave, when she went by the gate she had put her hand up on her cheek as if she was crying. "Kaoru," I had said under my breath.  
  
" What the heck is wrong with her! Wouldn't she have come after me when I called her ugly! Jeez." Yahiko had surely been annoyed by Kaoru's actions.  
  
" Ya I know, something is up with Missy." I knew that Sano was just as worried as I was. Suddenly it seemed like the perfect time to bring up the subject of what happened to Kaoru's family.  
  
" Do you ever wonder what life she had to live," Yahiko and Sano stared at me and I heard a crunch from Sano's fishbone.  
  
" I mean, when did her dad and her mom die? What happened to them? And at what age was she when the died?" They both had stared at the ground and then stared at the gate outside.  
  
" Do you think we should ask her?" Yahiko asked.  
  
" I don't know if Missy would want to talk about it, and if we don't ask her I'm sure she won't bring it up."  
  
Everything was quiet. No one moved until we all heard thunder out in the distance, then a flash of lightning while everything went dark. I was worried; Kaoru hates thunder, and most of all lightning.  
  
" Sano, Yahiko, maybe we should go look for Kaoru-dono, I don't want her to be stuck in the storm." " Ya, lets go look for Missy." Then we were off.  
  
Great, it's raining again. Pouring like it was this morning! Kaoru, where are you! Sano, Yahiko and I checked everywhere! The Akabeko, and basically every single shop that knows her.  
  
What if something happened to her? Like when Enishi took her, I never want that to happen ever again! Oh how I just want to see her pretty face again and see her smile one more time. If she is gone, I won't be able to live at all.  
  
" I wonder where Missy is? You know, maybe she is back at the dojo? She probably went back right when the rain started. Maybe one of us should go back and stay there if she comes." Sano had to yell to get the message to us through the pounding rain.  
  
" Ya Kenshin, Sano and me will go back to the dojo and wait for Kaoru, and if you want to you can look for her in the rain or check some more shops. What do ya say?" I knew Yahiko wanted to get out of the rain.  
  
"Ok, Sano, Yahiko? Go back to the dojo and I will look for her." "Alright Kenshin, see ya."  
  
Now I was alone go find her. I hope she is ok. Wait! Maybe she is by the river! There are a lot of sad memories there from the past but maybe she just had to go there.  
  
No, she is not there. Ok now I am extremely worried! I feel like a knife has gone through me, WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO HER! Maybe I am over reacting, if I was Kaoru, where would I be?  
  
After a lot of thinking I got it! The cemetery! I don't know how this relates to Kaoru but somehow I have to go there.  
  
There it is the Tokyo cemetery. It looks so spooky in there! Why would Kaoru be in there when it is dark out and it is raining like hell! After another flash of lightning, I went in. Man, I thought that every single grave would just pop out at me. That's when I saw a figure kneeling at a grave. What kind of person would be out here like this? Then what am I doing then? I climbed to the nearest tree towards the person to get a better look and then a series of flashes of lightning occurred and I saw who it was .Kaoru??  
  
It was her. She had no expression on her face and she was staring at the grave! Whose grave was it? It was her father's; it had said Kamiya on it.  
  
I heard from Tae that her mother's body was never found so it has to be Kaoru's father.  
  
The weirdest thing happened then and there.the rain had stopped, just in that instant. I could see Kaoru more clearly now that it got brighter out and it wasn't raining anymore. She was soaked to the bone.  
  
Parts of her hair stuck to her jaw line and the blue kimono she had on turned dark blue. She was smiling even though it looked like she was crying again.  
  
She stood up, wiped the hair that was stuck to her face and walked out of the cemetery.  
  
I followed, trying not to make a sound, that's when I stepped on a tree branch. Crap! " I know you're there Kenshin. You can't hide and stay quiet at the same time. It's no use now."  
  
She looked at exactly the spot where I was hiding. I came out. " Ok Kaoru- dono, you caught me. I was just worried about you. I didn't want you to get sick and you did seem sad today and I was just curious to what you were up to, gomen Kaoru-dono."  
  
" That's ok Kenshin, you were just worried about me, but next time, try to stay out of my personal business."  
  
Kaoru didn't sound mad.but she did sound annoyed. But I have to know.  
  
" Kaoru-dono, I have to know.who's grave was that? I saw Kamiya.well, you don't have to tell me.I just."  
  
"It's ok, don't worry, that was my father's grave, he died trying to save my life, do you want to hear it?"  
  
I nodded; I had always wondered what happened to Kaoru's family. Now if she would let me maybe I could tell Yahiko and Sano since they are wondering what happened too. Then she began.  
  
"Ok, when I was little, my parents loved me a lot and they wanted the best for me, but sometimes they had arguments over it. My dad had decided that he would teach me the Kamiya Kasshin Style at an early age.  
  
He started when I was 9. I practiced day and night with the other students that my father was teaching.sometimes he would give me private lessons.  
  
But I had mastered the technique when I turned 13, and that was amazing for students all together. So, that night, my birthday, we were celebrating on how I mastered the technique and the fact that it was my 13th birthday.  
  
It was the best day of my life and it was the only day that I had the day off. It was perfect!  
  
That night dad, mom, and I sat at the edge of the dojo staring at the stars. My mom's head leaning on my dad's shoulder and his arm around her waist. I sat on the other side of my dad.  
  
Then we heard a gunshot. We all stood up in alarm. We saw men, holding torches and they had swords. There was too many of them for just my dad to handle, so he picked up my mom and we all ran into the dojo for a place to hide. They came in.  
  
My dad told us both to follow him and then he passed me a sword, not a bokkon, but a real sword.  
  
It was very heavy but I managed to hold it. Then my dad picked up my mom and we ran. as fast as we could not stopping. The men had seen us and followed screaming at us and cursing at us.  
  
Soon we reached a dead end and there was a cliff! Rocks were at the bottom while the waves stormed in like mad bulls. My dad drew his sword and I held mine up, ready for battle.  
  
He told my mom to stay behind him so he could protect her. The men charged and we fought and fought.  
  
I had gotten many cuts on my arms, legs, chest. and a huge one on my back that felt like someone sliced me in half. We were doing good and more than half were unconscious when someone had sneaked behind my dad and stabbed my mom in the stomach.  
  
My dad stopped fighting and looked like he had just died himself seeing that she was going to die.  
  
She fell off the cliff.  
  
Though I had no time to look where. My dad fell to the ground and had lost all faith in himself and the men were hitting his back and cutting it. I had screamed to my dad while fighting, crying at him to get up!  
  
Then I fell. I had so many scrapes then that I thought that I had turned in to a waterfall of blood.  
  
I looked up and I saw and ugly looking guy with his sword up ready to stab me when I saw my dad's face over mine and his face had popped out. He had been stabbed.he tried to protect me.  
  
The men left saying that they got the guy. My dad got off me and laid on his stomach with the sword still in his back. I was sobbing like mad. He had practically a pool of blood surrounding him.  
  
I got close to him, lying in the blood, I didn't care about the stench all I cared about then was my father.  
  
He said to me, " Live on Kaoru-chan, find love, protect the dojo, and never kill. I will watch.over.you.forever."  
  
His eyes closed while he spoke his last breath. I sobbed, and sobbed. Then I got up and wiped the blood from my face. I finally felt all of the wounds I had gotten.  
  
Dizziness was clouding my vision while I looked over the edge off the cliff where my mom had fell. I saw her. A rock had gone through her stomach and her eyes were open.  
  
That's when I had cried even harder and I thought, I have no place to live here, no one to love. That's when I fell of the cliff, but that's also when I remembered my father's words to me. Then I blacked out.  
  
I woke up in the water, the police yelling, "Is there anyone alive out there, can anyone hear me?"  
  
The water was freezing and I tried to swim to the shore, I reached it and blacked out again. The police had found me and bought me a new kimono and took me home. Doctors also told me what happened to my father and mother while cleaning my cuts, even though I already knew what had happened to them.  
  
And that's the end. I lived alone and had Dr. Genzai as company.  
  
Every year I go to my father's grave and pray, as if I was talking to him and I go visit the cliff where both my mom and I fell. That's why you saw me at Dad's grave, today is the 5th anniversary of their death and my 18th birthday."  
  
She looked down at the ground while we walked. I was in shock! I never knew how horrible that was!  
  
Even on her birthday. We walked in silence when she spoke, " You can tell the others if you want, I don't mind, actually, I want you to tell them for me. Please?"  
  
"Yes, sure Kaoru-dono, of course."  
  
That story.why had this happened to a strong, beautiful girl like her. She had never deserved this, no one does. Now I had also knew why no one had found Kaoru's mother's body.  
  
They probably never looked over the cliff. Then she had to live alone, for probably 4 years, no wonder she hated it when I had left for Kyoto, she had a great fear of being alone.  
  
She probably would had died of being so alone if her father hadn't said those words to her, 'Live on Kaoru-chan, find love, protect the dojo, and never kill. I will watch.over.you.forever.'  
  
That is so sad. I don't want her to feel sad. I want her to have a free- minded spirit, without all of her troubles.  
  
We had walked in silence when I noticed that I was staring at the ground and walking at the same time, kinda just following Kaoru. Then I looked up and saw a pole.ahhh! STOP! STOP! BAM! To late.  
  
" Ororororororo." " Oh my god!! Kenshin, are you ok!?" Ow! Boy, that one hurt! My head.ororororororo. ok, now the pain is gone.That's when I noticed that Kaoru was kneeling on the ground next to me with a worried look, then all of the sudden she started laughing hysterically!  
  
I gave her a questioned look and then she started crying and laughing at the same time.  
  
" Why are you laughing, that hurt!" Then I started laughing and it must have been a weird site to other people.  
  
The Hitokiri Baittosai, lying on the ground with a young girl who is kneeing laughing and crying at the same time.  
  
After about 5 minutes Kaoru helped me up. " Thank you Kenshin." I gave her a puzzled look.  
  
" This is the first time that I have laughed or smiled in such delight on my birthday. Every year when I had secretly celebrated, I had wished that I could have a normal birthday, like the birthdays that I had before the one when my parents died.  
  
I had felt so loved, and now this is the first one when I have friends and someone who in his own 'oro' way makes me laugh. Thanks Kenshin."  
  
I smiled, I never thought that I could cause someone delight! " Your welcome Kaoru-dono, and Happy Birthday!"  
  
I had just thought of the perfect gift! Kaoru smiled and nodded her head as a way of thanks, I think that if she talked she was afraid of laughing so much because it was hard to stop.  
  
" It's starting to get dark, lets head back to the dojo, Sano and Yahiko will be very worried."  
  
Then we walked and laughed at the bruise on my forehead. Once we got back Yahiko and Sano were yelling at us about how they were worried and how that they wanted dinner.  
  
Once Kaoru left to go change her clothes I told them that I was going out and that if you asked Kaoru nicely, she would make dinner.  
  
Then I left. Since Kaoru was in a good mood she might, just might make dinner. I never told them this but I thought it once I left. I was sure that I heard someone yell once I locked the gate.  
  
Once I got back, which was an hour later, I walked in and heard that everyone was quiet, I was holding a package with a card on it and noticed that everything was too quiet.  
  
Oh no! What happened to everyone! I burst through to the kitchen and there was Yahiko and Sano quietly eating, but where was Kaoru!  
  
They looked at me and greeted me, but I couldn't handle it anymore, " Where is Kaoru! Where is she! Is she gone! Tell me!"  
  
Yahiko and Sano started giggling and then I heard a very familiar voice, " I'm right here stupid!"  
  
I looked behind me and there she was, wearing her yukata. I closed my eyes and calmed down. Then she said, "I had to take a bath because some bakas over there wouldn't let me cook, and instead of my cooked food going on the table, it went on me."  
  
She smiled and Sano and Yahiko started backing away. Kaoru spoke again, " I had also told them my story that I told you today, they had wanted to know.  
  
But the part about it that I had gotten mad about," Kaoru started edging toward Yahiko and Sano, " was that they barged into my bath and made me tell them there.  
  
It took so long that I had dried up like a prune because I couldn't get out of the bath and they wouldn't let me because they were worried that I wouldn't continue. When they should have known that I would have continued, I just wanted to get out!"  
  
Kaoru had looked like a mad bull ready to stomp all over Yahiko and Sano who where cowering at her feet.  
  
I then started laughing and laughing, I couldn't control myself! "Sano and Yahiko are pretty stupid aren't they, that they are!"  
  
Yahiko had gotten mad at me, though he knew I was just kidding. "Hey Kenshin, we just wanted to know! We of course didn't face her in the water; I would never ever want to see any part of Ugly's body! Hahahahaha!"  
  
Kaoru had steam coming out of her ears.  
  
" Yahiko! You little brat! You do know that today is a harsh day for me so if I were you, you should shut up! Each year on this day my father does come up from the grave so he can wish me happy birthday! If you keep making fun of me he will haunt you in your sleep!"  
  
Yahiko looked like he had just seen a ghost that very instant, his eyes were twitching and his face gone pale.  
  
He ran to the corner of the room and held his knees to his chest and was looking every where for probably Kaoru's father.  
  
Kaoru leaned over to me and whispered " Works every time." I giggled so no one would hear me.  
  
Then I did get a shock off of this, " But my dad does come from the grave to meet me each year. That's when you had found me, talking to my dad." My eyes had gone wide and felt good that maybe she had told only me this.  
  
Later that night after Yahiko and Sano had gone to bed, I saw that Kaoru was up so I thought that it would be the perfect time to give her, her birthday present.  
  
She sat at the edge of the dojo and was staring at the night sky. I walked over to her and sat down. She looked over at me in surprise.  
  
" Happy birthday Kaoru-dono."  
  
I handed her the present. She smiled and looked at the card first, " Happy birthday, sorry we haven't always been there for you or made your life perfect, but we will always be there. Love, Kenshin, Yahiko, Sano, Tae, Tsubmae, and Megumi."  
  
She smiled and then started to open the gift, oh I really hope that she likes it!  
  
" Oh my gosh! Kenshin! Did you have this made?" It was a wooden plaque. It said, Kaoru Kamiya, Master of the Kamiya Kassine Style.  
  
Kaoru started crying. " Kaoru, what's wrong?" She looked at me and then she put her arms around my neck in a hug. But not the fast ones that squeeze my neck so I can't breathe, it was a soft one. She started crying in my neckline. I put my arms around her waist and hugged her back.  
  
After a few minutes that I never wanted to end, she looked up at me, she had stopped crying.  
  
" Thank you again Kenshin, you have really made my life perfect. I am glad that so many people care about me. I had thought that I would never get a birthday present ever again after my parents died, but I was wrong, I have lots of people who care so much. Thank you."  
  
" Well, since you did say that you had mastered the technique when you turned 13, and now you are 18, and the same plaque says assistant master, not master. So after your story I knew that you should really get the title that you deserve."  
  
She looked at the plaque once again and smiled at it. Oh how I love her so much, but how do I confess, how do I let her know?  
  
I know that she loves me back, but how can I make sure of it? It has to be tonight; otherwise I may not have another chance.  
  
" Kaoru," I moved in front of her, "I have a confession to make." Her eyes went wide, " I know that I haven't always been there for you to dry your tears, or make you feel happy every second of your life.  
  
I can't change the past, but maybe I can change the future. In my eyes, you are a beautiful person. You are very strong, brave, courageous, and you have a temper." She lifted an eyebrow. " But also, you are a kind and wonderful person. I said to myself when I became a wanderer, that I would never fall in love again. I have broken that promise to myself. I have fallen in love with you."  
  
She smiled and tears were forming in her eyes. " I want to be by your side forever and I want go where you go, sleep where you sleep, and I could on forever, but what I am saying is that. will you marry me Kaoru.  
  
I would understand if you just want to be friends, or you want someone younger.but.oh, don't cry! It's really ok if you don't have feelings for me." Kaoru stopped crying and wiped her tears and then she stood up. I got up with her.  
  
" Kenshin, you idiot! Do you know how long I have been waiting for you to say that! I'd dream about it and cry about it, but no, you have to wait for so long!" Then she went from stern to a smile. " Yes, Kenshin, I will marry you. I love you. But really, what did take you so long?"  
  
"Uh.well.I was afraid that you didn't feel the same way." I was cut off by Kaoru.  
  
She kissed me! Of course I kissed her back though. It was deep at first and then it got deeper. I never wanted it to end, but we did end it to breathe of course. We laughed; it was the best day ever.  
  
" Kaoru, there is someone watching us." I whispered that to her so whoever was watching couldn't hear us. She whispered back, " Really, I wonder who it is." I of course knew who it was; Yahiko and Sano. Kaoru knew it too.  
  
" So Kenshin, what should we do to have the dojo to ourselves?" She said this aloud to make them come out,  
  
I continued, " I don't know darling, maybe we should make Yahiko go to boarding school, and kick Sano out in the streets, I know his house is under construction, but he needs to learn doesn't he?"  
  
" Yes, we don't want him barging in on us, doing whatever we do, right hunny?"  
  
" Ok, ok! We confess! It was just so wonderful watching you and Missy love each other!" Sano of course confessed; he couldn't handle it. Yahiko came out too.  
  
"Ya, finally you two got together! It'd seem like Megumi and Sano would get together before you two did."  
  
"Hey, what was that you little brat!" Sano and Yahiko were in a cloud of dust fighting. Then they stopped, Yahiko was worried, "Are you really going to send me to boarding school?"  
  
"Are you really going to kick me out?"  
  
They looked like they were going to cry. " Of course not! Kenshin and I said that so you idiots would show yourselves."  
  
"Oh, well we knew that!" "Yep, sure you did." After a moment of silence, Yahiko and Sano piped up, " Happy Birthday Missy, we are going to bed now." "No we're not! I don't."  
  
Sano kicked Yahiko's foot, "Oh ya busu, we are going to bed, Happy B-day!" Then they were gone.  
  
" Kenshin, on that card, was it really just from you or did everyone else really sign it?" "Well, uh.no they didn't sign it, I'd be a surprise to them tomorrow." "Yes, it would be."  
  
It was getting windy, very windy; it was real strange weather. There was no breeze or even a hint of wind when it just came storming in. I put my arms around Kaoru and held her close.  
  
" Kenshin I also have a confession to make," She faced me in my arms. " See this morning you found me in the rain right? Well if you hadn't have come then I would have talked to my father this morning, then when I went inside it rained lighter.  
  
When I went out again it started raining again really hard, if you hadn't found me in the cemetery; then I would have talked to my father then. See when you saw me kneeling there it stopped raining just like that right?  
  
Well now my father wants to talk to me before he has to wait another full year. That's why the winds are acting up.  
  
On this day when a storm comes, it's my father talking to me, it is how he can go into a ghost form and say hi to me. So don't be scared or afraid when he walks out."  
  
Whoa, this is way too hard to handle; the ghost of Kaoru's father is coming! Ahhhhhhhhh!!!  
  
The winds started getting more wild, like a hurricane, then a very small twister. I let go of Kaoru and she walked me out into the middle of it. A white light came from the sky, and then a figure was floating down.  
  
When the white figure hit the ground everything stopped; the small twister had vanished, everything was quiet.  
  
It was a ghost! It was Kaoru's father! " Kaoru-chan!"  
  
"Father!"  
  
Kaoru ran to hug him. I walked up and stood next to Kaoru.  
  
" Hello Kamiya-san."  
  
" Kaoru, you picked a polite one. Hello Kenshin Himura. I'm glad that you have proposed today to my princess. You have made her so happy. I'm also happy to have a son-in-law that used to be the Hitokiri Baittosai, now I can brag to the other people in heaven! Hahahaha!" We all laughed at that one.  
  
" Kaoru, your mother says hello and that she loves you." "Tell mom that I love her too."  
  
" My time is up hunny, I love you and nice meeting you Himura-san. Good- bye." " No. father!"  
  
The wind picked up and then he was gone. Everything was still. Kaoru started crying again and I held her in my arms.  
  
I kissed her forehead and said, " Your father must have been a great person, and he had a sense of humor, and he had long hair, just like me." Kaoru chuckled at that.  
  
She looked into my eyes and we kissed once more that night. Light and sweet. "We should go to bed Kaoru, you have had a big day today."  
  
"Yes you are right, but I do have a question."  
  
"What's that?" I asked. " Could I sleep with you? I mean not in a.well.you know.but right next to you just so I know that you are there?"  
  
" Yes Kaoru, sure, of course."  
  
That day was the best day in my life, for the first time I heard Kaoru's point of view. I never knew it, but all this time that I was living with Kaoru, I was living in her shadows.  
" You traveled from my sight and entered my  
thoughts, From my eyes,  
to my heart."  
  
- Annomonous  
  
AN: hey eveyone! I hope you enjoyed my story! Please if you did click the little button down there! Lol.of course this is NOT the actual story of Kaoru's parents.I made that up.and if you didn't notice this is in kenshin's POV. I would have made it into chapters but I didn't want to.. The whole thing took 10 pages on Microsoft word.anyway.I am NOT the creator of Rurouni Kenshin or owner..it s Wa......I forgot his name...oops!so don't pick on me or sue!!! I have no money!!!! Lol..bubye!! 


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